• Mass Spectrometry Letters
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• v.15 no.2
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• pp.95-106
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• 2024

Taraxacum coreanum, known as the native Korean white dandelion, has been historically used in traditional medicine due to its various therapeutic properties. However, the specific benefits and mechanisms of white dandelion in alleviating particular symptoms or diseases remain uncertain due to the complexity of its phytochemical profile. In this study, we aimed to elucidate the phytochemical profiles of methanolic extracts of different parts of the white dandelion (flower, leaf, stem, and root) using hybrid ion-mobility Q-TOF MS. Using the trapped ion mobility-based PASEF technique, 3715 and 2114 molecular features with MS2 fragments were obtained in positive and negative ion modes, respectively, and then a total of 360 and 156 phytochemical compounds were annotated by matching with a reference spectral library in positive and negative ion modes, respectively. Subsequent feature-based molecular networking analysis revealed the phytochemical differences across the four different parts of the white dandelion. Our findings indicated that the methanolic extracts contained various bioactive compounds, including lipids, flavonoids, phenolic acids, and sesquiterpenes. In particular, lipids such as linoleic acids, lysophosphatidylcholines, and sesquiterpenoids were predominantly present in the leaf, while flavonoid glycosides and lysophosphoethanolamines were notably enriched in the flower. An assessment of the total phenolic content (TPC) and total flavonoid content (TFC) of the methanolic extracts revealed that the majority of phytochemicals were concentrated in the flower. Interestingly, despite the root extract displaying the lowest TPC and TFC values, it exhibited the highest radical scavenging rate when normalized to TPC and TFC, suggesting a potent antioxidant effect. These findings and further investigations into the biological activities and medicinal potential of the identified compounds, particularly those exclusive to specific plant parts, may contribute to the development of novel therapeutic agents derived from white dandelion.

• Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
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• v.27 no.6
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• pp.346-355
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• 2024

Groupers are economically important species in the fishery and aquaculture industries in Asian countries. Various species of grouper, including hybrids, have been brought to market even without precise species identification. In this study, we analyzed the structure and expression profile of the gene encoding prolactin (PRL) in the red-spotted grouper Epinephelus akaara based on genomic DNA and cDNA templates. The results showed that the PRL gene consists of five exons encoding an open reading frame of 212 amino acids, including a putative signal peptide of 24 amino acids and a mature structural protein of 188 amino acids. It showed amino acid identities of 99% with Epinephelus coioides, 83% with Amphiprion melanopus, 82% with Acanthopagrus schlegelii, 75% with Oreochromis niloticus, 70% with Coregonus autumnalis, and 67% with Oncorhynchus mykiss, indicating its closer similarity to E. coioides and other groupers but marked distinction from non-teleost PRLs. PRL mRNA expression was detected mostly in the brain, including the pituitary gland, with little expression in other tissues. While the 5-exon structure of the PRL gene of red-spotted grouper and the exon sizes were conserved, the sizes of the introns, particularly the first intron, were markedly different among the grouper species. To examine whether these differences can be used to distinguish groupers of similar phenotypes, exon-primed intron-crossing analysis was carried out for various commercially important grouper species. The results showed clear differences in size of the amplified fragment encompassing the first intron of the PRL gene, indicating that this method could be used to develop species-specific markers capable of discriminating between grouper species and their hybrids at the molecular level.

• Journal of Physiology & Pathology in Korean Medicine
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• v.18 no.4
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• pp.1041-1054
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• 2004

Electroacupuncture (EA) has been reported to increase pain threshold, and to enhance the NK cell activity by up-regulation of IFN-γ and endogenous β-endolphin. For the purpose of understanding the molecular mechanism of EA stimulation, we analyzed the gene expression profile of rat hypothalamus, treated on Zusanli (ST36) with EA, in comparison with control group by oligonucleotide chip microarray (Affymetrix GeneChip Rat Neurobiology U34 Array) and real-time RT-PCR. Sprague-Dawley (S-D) male rats were stimulated at the Zusanli (ST36) acupoint in restriction holder. Simultaneously the control group was given only holder stress without EA stimulation. In order to prove the appropriateness of EA treatment, we measured spleen NK cell activity with standard 51Cr release assay. NK cell activity of EA group was significantly increased comparing to control group. The microarray and PCR results show that EA treatment up-regulates expression of genes associated with 1) nerve growth such as NGF induced factor A and VGF, 2) signal transduction such as 5HT3 receptor subunit, AMPA receptor binding protein and Na-dependent neurotransmitter transporter, and 3) anti-oxidation such as superoxide dismutase and glutathione S-transferase. In addition, the activity of the anti-oxidative enzyme, SOD of hypothalamus, liver and RBC was enhanced compared to that of control. The list of differentially expressed genes may implicate further insight on the mechanism of acupuncture effects.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Tobacco Science
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• v.2 no.1
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• pp.1-7
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• 1980

Gel filtration column chromatography (Sephadex G-75), dialysis an d Brushite column chromatography were carried out to separate the brown pigmented macromolecule from water extracts of the cured leaf tobaccos. The two distinct macromolecules having different molecular weight were separated by the Sephadex column chromatography. Brushite also separated two different species of macromolecules which might have different electronic structures. According to the enzymatic degradation of protein in Burley and Hicks, chymotrypsin showed the best degradation ratio, ie., 16-30% in Burley and 38-57% in Hicks. Similar effect was observed with pepsin. However, very low effect of degradation was revealed with trypsin. The sample treated with the proteolytic enzymes revealed the disappearance of the first peak and the slight decrease of the 2nd peak height in the separation profile of Sephadex. After dialysis, the brown pigmented macromolecule was pyrolyzed at $300^{\circ}C$ and the strongly fluorescent components not identified before pyrolysis were detected with TLC separation. Absorption spectrum of these fluorescent compounds was monitored in benzene and the absorption maxima at 265nm and 275 nm were obtained. Considering absorption maxima and shape of the spectrum, those fluorescent compounds seem to be PAH derivatives.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.15 no.8
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• pp.3779-3784
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• 2014

Aims: To study alterations of plasma lipid profiles in carcinoma cervix and to assess significance comparedwith controls in different histological grades and stages. Materials and Methods: Totals of 99 histopathologically diagnosed cases and 35 controls from a tertiary hospital situated in the southern part of India which caters the rural and semi-urban populations were considered for the study. Fasting blood samples were taken to analyze total cholesterol (TC), triglycerides (TG), high density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) and low density lipoproteins cholesterol (LDL-C), for comparison of cases, grouped according to histological grades and stages, and controls. One way ANOVA was used for multiple group comparisons and the Student's t test (unpaired) for group wise comparisons. For all tests a 'p' value of 0.05 or less was considered as significant. Results: Out of 99 cases, most (n-39) were seen in the 40-49 year age group followed by 60-69 years (n-22). Serum TG significantly differed between cases and controls but without any relation to differentiation grade. The lipid profile parameters in various grades of cervical cancer were not statistically significant. Statistically significant increase of TC and LDL-C values was observed with increase in stage of the disease. Conclusions: The study showed TG is elevated in cervical cancer, and that TC and LDL-C are proportional to the spread of cancer as it increases from stage I to stage IV. An in-depth study of molecular changes in lipid metabolism in cervical cancer patients, enzymes/genes responsible and alterations in LDL receptors is necessary to provide information to decide whether the lipid profile has any diagnostic/prognostic role in cervical cancer.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.12 no.1
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• pp.93-103
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• 1999

Recent advances in the biotechnology of ruminal bacteria have been made in the characterization of enzymes involved in plant cell wall digestion, the exploration of mechanisms of gene transfer in ruminal bacteria, and the development of vectors. These studies have culminated in the introduction and expression of heterologous glucanase and xylanase genes and a fluoroacetate dehalogenase gene in ruminal bacteria. These recent studies show the strategy of gene and vector construction necessary for the production of genetically engineered bacteria for introduction into ruminants. Molecular research on proteolytic turnover of protein in the rumen is in its infancy, but a novel protein high in essential amino acids designed for intracellular expression in ruminal organisms provides an interesting approach for improving the amino acid profile of ruminal organisms.

• Journal of Korean Society for Atmospheric Environment
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• v.25 no.5
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• pp.450-458
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• 2009

The range-dependent overlap factor of a lidar system can be determined experimentally if a Raman backscatter signal by molecule is measured in addition to the usually observed elastic backscatter signal, which consists of a molecular component and a particle component. The direct determination of the overlap profile is presented and applied to a lidar measurement according to variation of telescope field-of-view and distance between telescope and transmitting laser. The retrieval of extinction coefficient by Raman method can generate high errors for heights below planetary boundary layer if the overlap effect is ignored. The overlap correction method presented here has been successfully applied to experimental data obtained in Gwangju, Korea.

• BMB Reports
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• v.29 no.3
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• pp.210-214
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• 1996

The pH dependence of the kinetic parameters of mutant O-acetylserine sulfhydrylase (OASS) from Salmonella typhimurium LT-2 has been determined in order to obtain information on the chemical mechanism. The initial velocity pattern obtained by varying the concentrations of OAS at several fixed concentrations of TNB, shows an intersection on the left of the ordinate at pH 7.0, indicating that the kinetic mechanism is a sequential mechanism in which substrate inhibition by OAS is observed while the wild type enzyme showed a ping pong mechanism. The values of $V/E_t$, $V/K_{OAS}E_{t}$ and $V/K_{TNB}E_{t}$ decreased by about 68%, 14% and 16% as compared with the wild type enzyme. The $V/K_{OAS}E_{t}$ is a pK of 6.5 on the acid side of the pH profile, and the $V/K_{TNB}$ is pH independent. As compared with the wild type enzyme, the pKs in the V/K profiles are shifted, reflecting that binding of the cofactor in free E:OAS is less asymmetric.

• International Journal of Industrial Entomology and Biomaterials
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• v.18 no.2
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• pp.139-142
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• 2009

The histological and transmission electron microscopic studies revealed the synthesis activity predominantly in the hypopharyngeal glands of the nurse bees. The biochemical analysis of both, the hypopharyngeal gland extract and royal jelly elucidated unequivocally the proteins and lipids as the major constituents. Further the SDS-PAGE of hypopharyngeal gland extract showed about 17 protein bands, perhaps 14.10, 20.00, 29.00 and 43.00 kDa predominantly while that of royal jelly revealed only two protein bands of 29.00 and 43.00 kDa molecular weight suggesting them as the major royal jelly proteins (MRJP). The lipid profile of royal jelly consists of triglycerides, cholesterol, HDL, LDL and VLDL.

• BMB Reports
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• v.49 no.7
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• pp.359-369
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• 2016

DNA methylation is emerging as an attractive marker providing investigative leads to solve crimes in forensic genetics. The identification of body fluids that utilizes tissue-specific DNA methylation can contribute to solving crimes by predicting activity related to the evidence material. The age estimation based on DNA methylation is expected to reduce the number of potential suspects, when the DNA profile from the evidence does not match with any known person, including those stored in the forensic database. Moreover, the variation in DNA implicates environmental exposure, such as cigarette smoking and alcohol consumption, thereby suggesting the possibility to be used as a marker for predicting the lifestyle of potential suspect. In this review, we describe recent advances in our understanding of DNA methylation variations and the utility of DNA methylation as a forensic marker for advanced investigative leads from evidence materials.